August Sunset Challenge

My friend Kevin Keyser over at Keyser Images has been posting challenges periodically on Facebook with last night's being the August Sunday #PostYourSunset challenge. It provides some motivation to get out and shoot as well as inspiration from some of the great images being posted. Last night the focus for most was the #supermoon.

This is the second super moon this year and I was looking forward to photographing this rare event; however for the second time, cloud cover hid the moon from my lens. All day long the sky was heavily covered in clouds. I drove up to Skyline without great expectations that I would see either the moon or a decent sunset. Much to my surprise, the sky opened up to the west about a hour before sunset. More clouds were building along the horizon but for a brief moment, there was potential. I opted for the Rockytop overlook as it had the cleanest westerly view. The clouds moving in from the  west dampened what could have been a spectacular scene. I can't complain as I did get a couple of good images out of it including the one posted below.

Rockytop - Shenandoah Valley, VA

Although I missed last night's super moon, I did take a few of the night before warmup. I haven't checked them yet. If there is something worth viewing, I'll add it to another post.

Blue Ridge Parkway - Peaks of Otter - Bedford, VA

On Saturday, I drove up to Lynchburg for a 2-day vist with Dea, Jake, Skylar, and Caleb. It was a great visit. Skylar and Caleb are as adorable as ever and took great pleasure in beating up their uncle Trav. It also gave me a chance to shoot a ton of photos including landscapes, portraits, and sports.

Iso 200, F/11.0, 1/750 sec, 20mm - 5 image HDR

The first set that I have to share are high dynamic range (HDR) landscapes that were taken on Sunday on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We made the hour drive to the Peaks of Otter Lodge for breakfast. I know it seems like a long way to go to get breakfast; however, it was definitely worth it. The food was good and the lodge and views were spectacular. I can't think of a better place for a weekend getaway whether it be for photography or just an escape from the daily hustle and bustle of life.

Iso 200, F/22.0, 1/180 sec, 18mm - 5 image HDR

Seeing that we missed the peak of the season by a couple of weeks, most of the trees were well past their transition and the leaves had either turned brown or had completely fallen, providing a captivating landscape of dieing vegetation intersparsed with brilliant yellows and oranges. When most people think of fall color photography, they immediately imagine images loaded with bright, perky colors. I decided to take this session in a different direction, illustrating the darkening change to winter. This concept was further emphasized seeing that I was shooting in the worst light imaginable, midday sun. To compensate, I chose to bracket my exposures by (5) 1-stop increments and then merge the exposures in Photomatix Pro to create a single HDR image.

Iso 200, F/11.0, 1/1000 sec, 22mm - 5 image

If you have an upcoming weekend that you want to steal away for a romantic weekend or to just recharge your batteries, think about heading up to the Lodge. It is well worth the trip! Over the next couple of days, I will be posting the portrait and soccer photos shot over the weekend as well. I'm also planning an upcoming post on HDR. Check back soon.